Category : Recipes

Yes, it’s the better-tasting cherry (we love a little zing), but it’s also loaded with nutrients. These nutrients make it especially beneficial for the average person. Like apple cider vinegar, this may be something you want to work into your daily life.

Why? Well, because it can help with something we all hold dear to our hearts — SLEEP. That’s right: nutritionists connect this dark red beauty with better sleep. But that’s a little vague, right?

Vague, yes, but still true. In fact, science supports these babies and makes a case for their role in daily life.

Let’s take a look at some of the evidence.

Tart Cherries and Improved Sleep

They can help increase melatonin levels.

This body chemical is sometimes confused with melanin, which is a skin pigment. They’re not related, so there’s your FYI — don’t be that person. Instead, this molecule helps regulate sleep. How so? Well, your body produces an increased amount of this towards your bedtime. Production helps lull you down and eventually, knocks you out for the night.

So, if your eyes feel a little heavier as the sun goes down, now you know why. Melatonin helps control your circadian rhythm. No, that’s not a Fortnite dance the kids are doing; it’s the process that your body uses to rest. Think of it as your internal clock that usually follows the day cycle. The sun goes down and you’re ready to catch some z’s, the sun comes up and you’re ready to go.

At least, that’s how things are supposed to work. Yet, many of us still lay awake at the wee hours of the night. Then we drag our knuckles throughout the morning like a zombie looking for brains. Instead, we’re not looking for brains, we’re hoping for our pillows.

That’s where supplements come in. Many look to pills and potions to help them remedy bedtimes issues. For those who would like a more natural supplement, that’s where tart cherries come in. Medical studies have shown this cherry can help increase melatonin-production. In fact, one European Journal of Nutrition study showed measurable changes.

The double-blind study followed 20 volunteers over 7 days. Participants drank either tart cherry juice concentrate or a placebo. Researchers collected urine samples, testing for signs of the molecule.

And what did they find? Surprise, surprise: the cherry drinkers melatonin-content increased, while the placebo showed no change. What does the increase mean?

That brings us to our next point…

Cherry concentrate can help boost sleep efficiency.

Again, it sounds vague, but it’s still true. The European study didn’t just tally chemical-ranges, it accounted for sleep quality too. Volunteers answered sleep quality questionnaires and special sensors monitored actual sleep. Both methods showed the same thing — people slept better with daily doses of the concentrate. More accurately, they slept for longer hours in this case.

Researchers in Spain found a similar correlation in a 2013 study. Ages for this placebo-controlled study ranged from 20 to 85-years-old. Across all these ages, participants showed measured success. Those who drank tart cherry concentrate daily showed reported better sleep. Their activity patterns exemplified this: less sudden awakenings during sleep and more shut-eye.

The report also focused on sleep latency, which means how long it takes to fall asleep. Can you guess what happened? Yup, participants reported (and data showed) falling asleep quicker during their trial. Falling asleep easier and less instances of randomly waking up at 3 AM? Count us in.

This sour fruit’s potential effectiveness has many in the health world. That brings us to our next point.

It may able to help those with sleep disorders in the future.

If the tart cherry can benefit the average person’s sleep cycle, can it help those with sleep disorders? Signs are looking positive, but lack extensive research. Research might be far and few between, but there’s still hope.

The American Journal of Therapeutics recently published a pilot study focusing on patients with insomnia. Researchers hoped the fruit could one day be a natural alternative to sleep-inducing drugs. So, is that what they found?

Unfortunately, the correlation could not go that far. But, those who ingested a cherry concentrate daily (as opposed to the placebo) found improvement. Their monitored sleep time increased by a little over an hour and thirty minutes (83 minutes). We know every minute counts, so that’s pretty cool.

Interestingly enough, researchers also noted an increase in tryptophan-availability. This chemical helps your body produce the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter serotonin. This makes sense because serotonin is also associated with melatonin. Think about it like this: how many times has your night’s rest (or lack thereof) affected your mood the next day?

A Very Cherry Recipe

Enticed? Of course you are. Here’s a fun little way to get some cherry-love in your life. Use our Organic Tart Cherry Extract to create this refreshing recipe.

Tart Cherry Red Wine Spritzer

Wine and cherries are two of our favorite things, so naturally we love this recipe by Running to the Kitchen. Add seltzer in the mix and a rosemary for garnish, and you got yourself a holiday drink (or any time, really).

This recipe calls for dairy milk, but we think you’ll be just fine using almond (or hemp, oat, cashew, etc.) milk. And we think our Choco-Mint Spirulina blend will mix smoothly for a mouth-watering result.

Coconut Water Refresher

What’s better than some coconut water on a hot summer’s day? How about a twist of pineapple?

This Yummly recipe only needs 5 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to create. Got peppermint leaves, pineapple, ginger, coconut water and ice on hand? Great! Then slip into a sleepy afternoon with this relaxing and hydrating vegan smoothie blend.

Pure Planet Alternatives

Our Organic Coconut Water – Rehydrate mix contains hibiscus and ginger, plus rooibos extract and electrolytes. Subbing this in for the plain coconut water and ginger scoop will help you feel even more lifted. Bon vovage on your trip to afternoon bliss!

Chocolate Cherry Vegan Smoothie

When you have a hankering for cherry-cola, this Texanerin Baking recipe could do the trick! With tart cherry. cocoa powder, banana and vanilla extract, this is the perfect treat after a long week.

Pure Planet Alternatives

Our Organic Tart Cherry extract could be an easy swap for the tart cherries, especially because it’s much easier to get your hands on during off-season. This recipe also calls for sweetener, to offset the tartness of the cherries. For people sensitive to stevia, you may want to avoid that part and swap for a more natural alternative, like honey from your local farmer’s market.

Strawberry Beet Smoothie

Us health-nuts know beets are super good for you, especially for cardiovascular and liver health. Why not add them to a mouth-watering summer smoothie?

This recipe calls for beets, berries, ginger and cinnamon, so you know you’re getting nutritious antioxidants and vitamins. Kick back and jam to the groove of the beet!

Pure Planet Alternatives

Our Organic Power Beets – Berry Blast complements the recipe well. Power Beets works great as a pre-workout drink, so adding it to this delicious treat could help avoid dessert-grogginess after you’ve finished.

Let’s Talk

Have you tried out any of these recipes? Do you have any of your own? Let us know in the comments below.

Gallivanting down the cereal aisle, you may notice that there are SO MANY MORE to choose from, compared to five years ago. Sugar-packed confections, gluten-free alternatives, crunchy granola combos and super-bland, healthy options.

Despite all the new choices, cereal sales have actually dropped by 17% since 2009, according to Mintel market research. As it turns out, less people are eating cereal for breakfast, because they are put-off by the sugar. Many are not just opting, but demanding for breakfast foods that fit their health needs, like fruit, greek yogurt, kefir, egg bites and vegan bars.

Don’t worry (or do worry), sugary cereals have not been completely eliminated from the American diet. According to Mintel, milennials (and other age groups) are snacking on those processed cereals throughout their days.

We understand that snacks should be delectable, but they also need to be nutritious. Refined sugar can cause you to burn out in the middle of the day, bring on headaches, make you eat other foods and lead to serious health issues.

That’s why we created TWO totally nutritious AND totally tasty snack recipes using our favorite Pure Planet products. These will keep you on track, fill you up and best of all, please your sweet tooth. Enjoy!

Melt coconut oil in a pan. Note: You can easily melt Pure Planet Coconut Oil by submerging in warm water until oil it is soft or turns to liquid. Caution: Container may be hot to to the touch, depending on water temperature.

Everything’s coming up apples this month at Pure Planet. We launched two new apple cider vinegar products, a lemon-flavored Probiotic and a cherry-delicious Alkalizer. Each refreshing blend has their own set of benefits and tastes.

So, if an apple a day can’t keep you away, try using our Apple Cider products in these tasty drink recipes.

Lemon Berry Apple Cider

When the sun shines bright, nothing beats a crisp, cool drink. Primally Inspired’s Lemon Berry Apple Cider seems mighty good, so we think it would taste even better with Apple Cider: Probiotic as a substitute. A refreshing glass that can help us keep cool and aid digestion? Yes, please!

What you’ll need for one glass:

2 tablespoons fresh or frozen berries

1 scoop of Apple Cider Probiotic

Ice

Water

Optional sweetener like raw honey

What to Do:

Drop berries into a glass (with sweetener, if applicable) and softly muddle with back of spoon.

Pour water in glass.

Mix in one scoop of Apple Cider Probiotic.

Add ice.

Enjoy!

Beet-Cherry Switchel

If you’ve never heard of a switchel drink before, it is basically a drink comprised of four ingredients: vinegar, ginger, water and a sweetener like honey or syrup. We think that both Apple Cider products would be a perfect ingredient to plenty of switchel mixes (our Probitic already contains two of the necessary ingredients)!

Try substituting Apple Cider Alkalizer for tart cherry in this switchel recipe by YurielKaim. You’ll miss out on the tart taste of cherry, but gain the vibrant taste of beets and cherry!

And of course, there’s no need to add extra vinegar when using any of the Apple Cider mixes! So, just stick to our mix, ginger, water and your sweetener of choice!

Sparkling Water Splash

Recipes are fun, but sometimes you just don’t have the time! Looking for a quick way to to make drinks with a splash? Substitute sparkling or seltzer water for regular water when mixing our Apple Cider drinks!

While substituting it for canola or olive oils are its most popular use, there are a number of other ways to incorporate heaping spoonfuls of it. Check out these coco-tasty and kitchen-easy recipes.

Coconut Oil Coffee

Substituting coconut oil for your coffee creamer, is delicious, more heart-healthy AND free of chemicals and sugar. Plus, mixing the saturated fat with caffeine helps give a longer-lasting energy boost! On top of that, the creamy addition supports proper digestion AND is satiating. Just add a spoonful of coconut oil to your cup and stir. If you want to step it up a notch, place already brewed coffee, coconut oil and honey in a blender, and froth!

Coconut Oil Popcorn

Another super easy (+ super tasty) coco-kitchen hack is to use it for popcorn! The perfect, all-American snack just got a lot healthier.

Simply heat the coconut oil until it is completely melted (don’t go over medium heat, because the texture will not allow the kernels to pop). Place a few kernels in the pan to test if the oil is hot enough to pop them. Once it is, add the remaining kernels. Cover the pan and shake every 10 seconds when you hear popping. Remove the pan from heat after the popping slows down to every 2 to 3 seconds.

Let your popcorn cool and then add some sea salt! Enjoy!

Corn Tortilla Chips

Chips are another guilty-pleasure snack! Healthy living is a compromise and all about moderation. Don’t fill your cabinets with bags of processed chips that list unknown ingredients, make your own with whole foods! Coconut Mama has a pretty easy recipe with only a few ingredients.

You will need:

1 pack of corn tortillas (preferably organic and non-GMO)

6 tablespoons of melted coconut oil

Sea salt

The directions are pretty simple too:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the coconut oil.

While waiting on steps 1 and 2, cut the tortillas into small pieces. Place those pieces on a cookie sheet or tray when done.

Evenly spread the melted oil across the chips.

Place in the oven for 6-8 minutes.

Rotate the sheets or trays, and continue baking until the chips are light brown and crispy.

Add salt once done.

You can eat them warm (just be careful) or cool! Don’t forget to store some away for tomorrow! Just be sure to use a Ziploc or airtight container.

Coconut Oil Spreads

If you have a food processor or high performance blender, you can really put coconut oil to use by making spreads. You can make coconut butter and other spreads for bread or crackers.

To make these, you will need to combine selected ingredients into the blender with coconut oil, and blend away! You’ll want to place them in the freezer for at least ten minutes afterward (depending on how firm you want the spread to be) and then place it in the fridge after that. Use spreads within a few days of making them, depending.

Here are some cool, coconut combinations (say that three times fast) from Healthy Happy Life:

Cinna-Banana Coconut Spread:

5 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 pinch of salt

1 banana

2-3 dashes of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of maple or agave syrup

Strawberry Spread:

5 tablespoons of coconut oil

5-6 strawberries

1 pinch salt

2 teaspoons of maple or agave syrup

Remember, when experimenting with coconut oil spreads: Blending coconut oil with slightly cold or chilled liquids might leave you with clumpy butter. Unless you’re into that, you should probably stick to room temperature or warm liquids.